Countries should agree to review their carbon emission reduction policies every five years to ensure dangerous global warming can be avoided, according to a draft United Nations agreement being circulated before the Paris summit due to start late next month.

The provision for regular revisions in the draft accord – which has been slashed from 80 to 20 pages – is a sign UN organisers are increasingly resigned to the fact any pledges in Paris will not be enough to keep temperature rises to less than 2 degrees of pre-industrial levels.

The working draft for the Paris climate summit includes an option to negotiate for a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees rather than 2 degrees. Photo: Martin Meissner

Even so, the first "comprehensive draft" by the event's co-chairmen for some 200 nations demonstrates "the inevitable trend to stronger action" that will be strengthened over time, said Erwin Jackson, the deputy chief executive of the Climate Institute.

"It gets everyone on the same dance floor, and ensures the music they dance to can be made faster in the future," Mr Jackson said.

Low-lying island nations – such as Vanuatu – are at greater risk from rising sea levels and have long pushed for a lower target maximum temperature increase. Photo: Getty Images

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised to retain his predecessor Tony Abbot's Paris pledge to aim to cut Australia's emissions about 19 per cent on 2000 levels by 2030, a reduction far short of the 40-60 per cent recommended by the government's independent Climate Change Authority.

An agreement for deeper post-Paris cuts would only add to difficulties Australia will have using the budget to pay polluters to cut emissions under the government's Direct Action policy, Mr Jackson said.

Advertisement

"The core details still need to be resolved, but this [draft] again just highlights that Australia's lack of stable, scalable and credible domestic policy to modernise our economy is leaving us flat-footed in a world turning to clean energy," Mr Jackson said.

You will now receive updates fromBreaking News Alert

Breaking News Alert

A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Greg Hunt dismissed claims Australia would not be doing its fair share to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

"Australia has a strong and credible emissions reduction target," she said. "It represents a 50 per cent reduction in per capita emissions [from 2005 levels], the highest per capita reduction of any major developed nation."

"We are achieving real and significant abatement at around 1 per cent of the cost of the carbon tax," the spokeswoman said, declining to say whether Australia would back reviews every five years.

Greens environment spokeswoman Larissa Waters said Australia should sign on for regular revisions to ensure climate ambitions "keep pace with the science".

"The Turnbull government's Paris targets are so bad that they not only isolate Australia from the trade and job opportunities of the clean energy future but they could have a wrecking effect on global ambition at these pivotal talks," Senator Waters said.

It gets everyone on the same dance floor, and ensures the music they dance to can be made faster in the future.

Erwin Jackson, deputy chief executive of the Climate Institute.

"Direct Action is a complete sham and a fig leaf to cover up the fact we are doing next to nothing."

The working draft also includes an option to negotiate for a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees rather than 2 degrees, a limit that low-lying island states have long called for as further warming may lead to much higher sea-level increases.

The Alliance of Small Island States also welcomed the new text as preserving key options such as rising funds to help developing nations.

The text indicates climate aid from wealthy nations should reach $US100 billion ($141 billion) a year by 2020 and rise to a yet-to-be negotiated higher rate after that.

"The contours of the package are coming together; most of the world has submitted a plan for action; and political momentum is as high as it's ever been," said Amjad Abdulla of the Maldives, chief negotiator of alliance.

"But the devil is in the details," he said. He said it was unclear how far nations would accept the draft as a basis for the Paris accord.

The climate summit is scheduled to run from November 30 to December 11, although France's climate ambassador Laurence Tubiana​ last week told reporters a special pre-summit may be arranged for 8 to 10 November so leaders can agree on the key details of the deal ahead of the main gathering.